Wafer post-processing apparatus

Abstract

This invention discloses a wafer post-processing apparatus, comprising: a tank housing a wafer post-processing module; a top cover disposed on the top of the tank and having an opening for placing and removing wafers through the opening; a door disposed above the top cover to open or close the opening; and a top guide structure disposed above the top cover and the door to guide liquid dripping onto the top cover and the door away from the wafer placement area within the tank. The wafer post-processing apparatus disclosed in this invention has a reasonable structure, and the configured top guide structure can guide liquid dripping onto the door and top cover away from the wafer placement area within the tank, reducing or avoiding the impact of liquid containing particulate matter on the wafer post-processing effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of wafer post-processing technology, and more specifically, relates to a wafer post-processing apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] The integrated circuit industry is the core of the information technology industry, playing a crucial role in promoting the digital and intelligent transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry. Chips are the carriers of integrated circuits, and chip manufacturing involves processes such as integrated circuit design, wafer fabrication, wafer processing, electrical measurement, dicing, packaging, and testing. Among these, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) is one of the five core processes in wafer fabrication. CMP is an ultra-precision surface processing technology that achieves global planarization.

[0003] After chemical mechanical polishing, the wafer needs to undergo post-processing such as cleaning and drying. The purpose of wafer post-processing is to avoid contamination of semiconductor devices by trace ions and metal particles, thereby ensuring the performance and yield of semiconductor devices.

[0004] Wafer post-processing is usually carried out in a relatively enclosed tank to control the splashing of fluids during the post-processing process and to prevent external particles from entering the tank and affecting the wafer post-processing effect. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wafer post-processing apparatus 100' in the prior art, which includes a tank, a top cover on the top of the tank, and an opening for picking up and placing wafers on the top cover; the switch door that controls the opening and closing of the top cover opening is a horizontally movable structure; driven by a cylinder, the switch door moves horizontally to realize the opening and closing of the opening.

[0005] To ensure smooth sliding of the opening and closing door, a certain gap must be maintained between the door and the top cover. In other words, when the door is closed, there is a gap between it and the top cover. This means that existing tanks cannot achieve a complete seal, and it is impossible to prevent gases or liquids containing particulate matter from entering the tank and contaminating the wafers in post-processing.

[0006] More importantly, when the switch door is in the open position, the robotic arm moves the wafer above the switch door through the opening in the top cover. Under the influence of gravity, droplets on the robotic arm and / or the wafer may drip onto the edges or sides of the switch door. Droplets from the edges and sides of the switch door may drip onto the wafer surface, thus affecting the post-processing effect of the wafer. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention provides a wafer post-processing apparatus, which aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention provides a wafer post-processing apparatus, comprising:

[0009] The tank contains a wafer post-processing module.

[0010] A top cover, which is disposed at the top of the tank and has an opening for loading and unloading wafers through the opening;

[0011] A door, which is located above the top cover, is used to open or close the opening;

[0012] A top guide structure is provided above the top cover and the door to guide the liquid dripping onto the top cover and the door away from the position where the wafers are placed in the tank.

[0013] In some embodiments, the top guide structure includes a drainage section, which is a plate-like structure that at least partially covers the top of the door.

[0014] In some embodiments, the drainage portion is at least located at the middle position along the length of the door body, and the upper surface of the drainage portion is an inclined surface; the inclined direction of the inclined surface is perpendicular to the length direction of the door body.

[0015] In some embodiments, the drainage portion is detachably connected to the top of the door body, and the inclined surface of the drainage portion extends downward from the opening of the top cover to the edge of the top cover.

[0016] In some embodiments, the top guide structure further includes a guide portion disposed on the upper surface of the top cover to guide liquid toward the edge of the top cover.

[0017] In some embodiments, the location of the guide portion matches the location of the drain portion.

[0018] In some embodiments, the bottom of the flow guide is provided with crisscrossing micro-grooves to guide the liquid toward the edge of the top cover.

[0019] In some embodiments, the top guide structure further includes a transmission section disposed between adjacent guide sections, the bottom of which is provided with a transverse transmission micro-groove to converge the liquid toward the drain port of the top cover.

[0020] In some embodiments, the wafer post-processing apparatus further includes a bottom flow guide structure, the bottom flow guide structure including a buffer section and a bottom guide section, the buffer section being disposed in front of the bottom guide section and the bottom guide section being disposed below the top cover, the buffer section being located in the middle of the opening.

[0021] In some embodiments, the buffer section is provided with a liquid storage tank on its side, and the number of liquid storage tanks is multiple and arranged vertically at intervals, and the width of the liquid storage tank is 0.5-2mm.

[0022] In some embodiments, the upper part of the buffer section is provided with a flow guide plate that conveys liquid toward the bottom guide section; the bottom guide section is provided with a guide transfer channel that conveys liquid from the buffer section to the bottom guide section toward the edge of the top cover.

[0023] In some embodiments, the door is positioned above the top cover via a swing mechanism, the swing mechanism including a swing member, one end of which is connected to the door and the other end of which is connected to the top cover; the swing member can drive the door to swing, thereby opening and closing the opening.

[0024] In some embodiments, the top cover is provided with a rack that moves along its width direction, and a gear meshes with the upper part of the rack. The gear is connected to a swing member via a rotating shaft. The moving rack drives the gear and the rotating shaft to rotate, thereby causing the door body connected to the swing member to swing around the rotating shaft.

[0025] In some embodiments, a sealing ring is provided on the outer periphery of the opening, and the door body connected to the swing mechanism presses against the sealing ring.

[0026] In some embodiments, an end plate is provided on the side of the drainage section, and the end plate is disposed facing the opening direction of the top cover; when the door is in the open state, the end plate is located directly above the buffer section.

[0027] The beneficial effects of this invention include:

[0028] a. A top guide structure is configured above the door to guide the liquid dripping onto the door and top cover away from the position where the wafers are placed in the tank, thereby reducing or avoiding the impact of liquids that may contain particulate matter on the wafer post-processing effect;

[0029] b. A bottom guide structure is installed below the gate to guide the liquid dripping onto the side of the gate away from the position where the wafers are placed in the tank, thus ensuring the effectiveness of wafer post-processing;

[0030] c. The door that controls the opening and closing of the opening is connected to the top cover by a swing mechanism. A sealing ring is provided on the outer periphery of the opening. The door is pressed against the sealing ring to achieve the sealing of the opening and prevent particulate matter and / or fluid containing particulate matter from entering the interior of the tank. Attached Figure Description

[0031] The advantages of the present invention will become clearer and easier to understand through the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention, wherein:

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wafer post-processing device in the prior art;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a wafer post-processing apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the top cover and the door body provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a door body with a drainage section in the middle;

[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the drainage section provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Front view of the central drainage section;

[0038] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a flow guide provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the central guide section from another perspective;

[0040] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a transmission unit provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of an assembly formed by a top cover and a door on it, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a bottom flow guide structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cache section provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 13 yes Figure 12 Side view of the middle cache section. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The technical solutions of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. The embodiments described herein are specific implementations of the present invention, used to illustrate the concept of the present invention; these descriptions are explanatory and exemplary, and should not be construed as limiting the implementation methods or the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition to the embodiments described herein, those skilled in the art can employ other obvious technical solutions based on the content disclosed in the claims and specification of this application. These technical solutions include those that make any obvious substitutions and modifications to the embodiments described herein.

[0046] The accompanying drawings in this specification are schematic diagrams used to illustrate the concept of the invention and to schematically show the shapes of the various parts and their interrelationships. It should be understood that, in order to clearly show the structure of the various components of the embodiments of the invention, the drawings are not drawn to the same scale, and the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same parts in the drawings.

[0047] In this invention, "Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP)" is also called "Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP)," and the wafer (W) is also called the substrate (Substrate), with the same meaning and actual function.

[0048] In IC manufacturing, various organic and inorganic substances are used in cleanrooms. Due to factors such as personnel and the environment, a large number of contaminants are generated during wafer fabrication. These contaminants generally include particles, organic matter, metallic contaminants, and / or oxides, with particle sizes ranging from a few nanometers to hundreds of nanometers. The purpose of wafer post-processing is to remove these contaminants from the wafer surface, ensuring that the size and number of contaminant particles are controlled within the process requirements.

[0049] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a wafer post-processing apparatus 100 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The wafer post-processing apparatus 100 includes:

[0050] The tank 10 is equipped with a wafer post-processing module to clean and dry the wafer surface.

[0051] A top cover 20 is disposed on the top of the tank 10 and has an opening 20a connecting the outside and inside of the tank 10. The wafer handling robot places the wafer to be processed into the inside of the tank 10 through the opening 20a of the top cover 20, or the wafer handling robot transfers the wafer after processing to the outside of the tank 10 through the opening 20a of the top cover 20.

[0052] A door 30 is disposed above the top cover 20 to open or close the opening 20a of the top cover 20.

[0053] After the wafer completes post-processing steps such as cleaning and drying Figure 2The door 30 shown is in the open state, and the wafer handling robot transfers the cleaned wafer through the opening 20a of the top cover 20 to the next process. During the wafer transfer, droplets on the wafer handling robot and / or the wafer may drip onto the edges or sides of the door 30 and / or the opening 20a under gravity. These droplets are exposed to the outside of the tank 10 and may mix with abrasive and / or residue particles formed during the cleaning process to form new sources of contamination; droplets containing particles may drip when the wafer post-processing unit 100 processes the next wafer, thus affecting the post-processing effect of the wafer.

[0054] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the wafer post-processing apparatus 100 also includes Figure 2 The top flow guide structure 40 is shown. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the top guide structure 40 is disposed above the top cover 20 and the door 30 to guide the liquid dripping onto it, so that the dripping liquid is away from the position where the wafer is placed in the tank 10.

[0055] Figure 2 In the middle, the top guide structure 40 configured on the top of the tank 10 can guide the liquid dripping onto the top cover 20 and the door 30 toward the edge of the top cover 20, so as to avoid the liquid dripping onto the wafer surface again and affecting the post-processing effect of the wafer surface.

[0056] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a top cover 20 and a door 30 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The top guiding structure 40 includes a drainage part 41, which is a plate-shaped structure and is placed above the door 30 to guide the droplets falling onto the door 30.

[0057] Since the grippers of the wafer handling robot are located on both sides of the wafer, liquid tends to accumulate on the upper part of the grippers. In addition, liquid on the wafer surface tends to accumulate towards the middle of the lower edge of the wafer under the influence of gravity. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a drainage section 41 in the area of ​​the gate 30 where liquid tends to accumulate, so as to effectively guide the dripping liquid and prevent droplets from the top of the tank 10 from dripping onto the wafer surface through the opening 20a.

[0058] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of a drainage section 41 provided in an embodiment of the present invention, disposed on a door body 30, with the drainage section 41 partially covering the top of the door body 30. Specifically, the drainage section 41 is disposed along the length direction of the door body 30; there are three drainage sections 41, one of which is disposed in the middle position along the length direction of the door body 30 to guide the liquid dripping from the wafer surface; meanwhile, the other two drainage sections 41 are disposed at both ends of the door body 30 to guide the liquid dripping from the wafer handling robot. In other words, the drainage section 41 can at least partially cover the top of the door body 30. The operator can determine the specific placement position of the drainage section 41 based on the dripping pattern of the liquid above the top cover 20 and the door body 30.

[0059] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a drainage section 41 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The drainage section 41 includes a drainage main structure, and an inclined surface 41a is disposed on the upper part of the drainage main structure. Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The front view of the drainage section 41 shown shows that the inclined surface 41a is gradually inclined from one end to the other end, and the droplets falling on the drainage section 41 flow from high to low along the inclined surface 41a towards one side.

[0060] Furthermore, connecting ear plates 41d are provided on both sides of the drainage section 41, and the drainage section 41 is detachably connected to the door body 30 through the connecting ear plates 41d. Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, the inclined surface 41a corresponding to the drainage portion 41 installed on the door body 30 is inclined along the width direction of the door body 30. In other words, the inclined direction of the inclined surface 41a is perpendicular to the length direction of the door body 30, so as to guide the dripping droplets along the width direction of the door body 30.

[0061] Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the inclined surface 40a of the drainage section 41 extends downward from the opening 20a of the top cover 20 to the edge of the top cover 20. Specifically, the higher vertical position of the inclined surface 41a is located near the opening 20a of the top cover 20, while the lower vertical position of the inclined surface 41a is located near the edge of the top cover 20. Under the action of gravity, the liquid dripping onto the drainage section 41 flows away from the opening 20a of the top cover 20, keeping the dripping liquid away from the position where the wafer is placed in the tank 10, thus avoiding the impact of the dripping liquid on the wafer cleaning or drying process.

[0062] Figure 5 In the middle, the three edges corresponding to the main structure of the drainage part 41 are equipped with baffles 41b to limit the flow direction of the liquid dripping onto the inclined surface 41a, so that the liquid on the drainage part 41 flows in the set direction.

[0063] Figure 5In the embodiment shown, the end of the drainage section 41 is also provided with an end plate 41c. The end plate 41c can guide the droplets falling on the end face of the drainage section 41. The end plate 41c needs to cooperate with the bottom guiding structure 50 to guide or store the droplets. The specific function and role of the end plate 41c will be described in detail below when describing the structure of the bottom guiding structure 50.

[0064] As an embodiment of the present invention, the top guide structure 40 further includes a guide portion 42, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the guide portion 42 is provided on the upper surface 20c of the top cover 20 to guide the liquid toward the edge of the top cover 20.

[0065] Figure 3 In this embodiment, the door 30 moves around the opening 20a of the top cover 20 and one side of the opening 20a to control the opening and closing of the opening 20a. A guide portion 42, provided in one embodiment of the present invention, is disposed in the area corresponding to the moving side of the door 30 to guide liquid dripping from the wafer handling robot, the wafer, and / or the guide portion 41 toward the edge area of ​​the top cover 20.

[0066] Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the location of the guide portion 42 on the top cover 20 matches the location of the drainage portion 41 on the door 30. That is, the guide portion 42 is provided at least in the vertical projection area of ​​the drainage portion 41 so as to guide the concentrated dripping liquid in a focused manner, so that the liquid is away from the position where the wafer is placed in the tank 10, thus ensuring the effect of wafer post-processing.

[0067] It is understandable that the guide section 42 can also be provided in other areas of the top cover 20, as long as it can guide the liquid dripping onto the surface of the top cover 20 toward the edge area of ​​the top cover 20. Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the drainage section 41 is not provided with a guide section 42 in the area between the vertical projections of the top cover 20. A guide section 42 can be provided in this area to supplement the guidance of droplets in areas other than the drainage section 41 and enhance the ability of the top guide structure 40 to guide liquid.

[0068] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the flow guide 42 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the flow guide 42 from another perspective. The flow guide 42 includes a first flow guide 42a and a second flow guide 42b, with the second flow guide 42b located on the side of the first flow guide 42a, and the two are integrally formed.

[0069] The first guide member 42a includes multiple horizontally and vertically staggered rods to form a closed grid structure; the bottom of the rods is provided with Figure 8 The flow-guiding micro-groove 42c shown is arranged along the length of the rod to orient and guide droplets on the surface of the top cover 20.

[0070] Furthermore, the rod is also equipped with a notch 42d, which connects the outside to the inside of the flow-guiding micro-groove 42c. There are multiple notches 42d, spaced apart along the length of the rod. The width of the flow-guiding micro-groove 42c and the notch 42d is 1-3 mm. After the droplets on the top cover 20 converge to a certain extent, the liquid near the flow guide 42 on the top cover 20 will enter the flow-guiding micro-groove 42c through the notch 42d under the action of capillary force.

[0071] Figure 8 In this design, notches 42d are located on both sides of the rod, and the notches 42d on both sides are staggered to prevent liquid from entering the flow-guiding micro-groove 42c through the notch 42d on one side of the rod and then flowing out of the flow-guiding micro-groove 42c through the notch 42d on the other side of the rod. Therefore, the staggered notches 42d can enhance the liquid retention capacity of the first flow guide 42a, so that the liquid can be guided towards the second flow guide 42b along the formed mesh structure.

[0072] Figure 7 In this design, the second guide member 42b has a plate-like structure and is disposed along the edge of the top cover 20. A guide protrusion 42e is provided at the bottom of the second guide member 42b, and the guide protrusion 42e is disposed along the length direction of the second guide member 42b. Adjacent guide protrusions 42e are spaced apart to form a guide groove 42f. Liquid entering the guide micro-groove 42c through the notch 42d gradually fills the first guide member 42a and gradually flows into the second guide member 42b. Preferably, the width of the guide groove 42f is 1-3 mm, and more preferably, the width of the guide groove 42f is 1.1-1.6 mm.

[0073] Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the top guide structure 40 further includes a transmission section 43, which is disposed between adjacent guide sections 42 and along the edge of the top cover 20 to transmit the liquid of the guide section 42 along the edge of the top cover 20.

[0074] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a transmission section 43 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The bottom of the transmission section 43 is provided with a transverse transmission micro-groove 43a. Specifically, the transmission section 43 includes a plate-shaped transmission main body. The bottom surface of the transmission main body is provided with transmission protrusions 43b, which are spaced apart along the length direction of the transmission section 43 to form transmission micro-grooves 43a between adjacent transmission protrusions 43b. The width of the transmission micro-grooves 43a is 1-3 mm, so that the liquid collected in the transmission section 43 can be transferred along the edge of the top cover 20 under capillary force.

[0075] Furthermore, the transmission protrusion 43b extends to the outer end of the transmission body to connect with the adjacent guide portion 42. Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, Figure 8 The spacing between adjacent guide protrusions 42e shown is equal to Figure 9 The spacing between adjacent transmission protrusions 43b is shown to facilitate the smooth transmission of liquid from the guide section 42 through the transmission micro-grooves 43a of the transmission section 43.

[0076] Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, a drain port 90 is provided at the corner of the top cover 20, and a transmission part 43 extends above the drain port 90 to transfer liquid dripping onto the top cover 20 and the door 30 to the drain port 90 of the top cover 20 via the drainage part 41, the guide part 42, and the transmission part 43. It should be noted that... Figure 2 The specific structure of the drain pipe can be seen, with drain port 90 located at the upper end of the drain pipe. Liquid enters the drain pipe through drain port 90 and is discharged to the outside of the tank 10.

[0077] As an embodiment of the present invention, the wafer post-processing apparatus 100 further includes a bottom guiding structure 50, such as... Figure 10 As shown. Figure 10 yes Figure 3 The corresponding top cover 20 and the door 30 on it are shown in cross-sectional view. The bottom guide structure 50 is disposed at the bottom of the top cover 20. Specifically, the bottom guide structure 50 is horizontally adjacent to the opening 20a and located below the door 30 to collect droplets falling on the side wall of the door 30.

[0078] Figure 10 In the illustrated embodiment, the upper surface 20c of the top cover 20 is flat, and the flow guiding portion 42 in the top flow guiding structure 40 is disposed on the upper surface 20c of the top cover 20. Since the flow guiding portion 42 is provided with flow guiding micro-grooves 42c, droplets or liquids falling onto the upper surface 20c can enter the flow guiding micro-grooves 42c through the notch 42d.

[0079] As Figure 10 In a variation of this embodiment, the upper surface 20c of the top cover 20 can also be a slope. Specifically, the upper surface 20c slopes from high to low from the opening protrusion 20b toward the edge of the top cover 20, so as to facilitate the flow of droplets falling onto the top cover 20 toward the edge of the top cover 20. As one aspect of this embodiment, the inclination angle of the upper surface 20c relative to the horizontal plane is 2-8°. Preferably, the inclination angle of the upper surface 20c relative to the horizontal plane is 3-5°.

[0080] As an embodiment of the present invention, when the upper surface of the top cover 20 is an inclined surface sloping towards the edge of the top cover 20, a flow guiding structure can be provided on the upper surface 20c of the top cover 20 to replace... Figure 3The flow guide 42 is shown. Specifically, a fluid channel is provided on the upper surface 20c to guide the dripping droplets to the edge of the top cover 20.

[0081] Alternatively, the upper surface 20c can be configured with a gradually varying roughness, such as a roughness less near the opening protrusion 20b than the roughness of the edge region of the top cover 20, to utilize the different roughness surfaces to form a flow guiding structure and guide the droplets. In some embodiments, the roughness near the opening protrusion 20b is Ra0.8, while the roughness near the edge region of the top cover 20 is Ra3.2, causing the dripping droplets to converge at the edge of the top cover 20.

[0082] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a bottom guide structure 50 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The bottom guide structure 50 includes a buffer section 51 and a bottom guide section 52, with the buffer section 51 disposed on the front side of the bottom guide section 52. Further, the buffer section 51 is disposed along the length direction of the bottom guide section 52, allowing the water to drip onto... Figure 5 The droplets from the end plate 41c of the drainage section 41 shown slide down to the buffer section 51 under the action of gravity, or flow to the bottom guide section 52 via the buffer section 51.

[0083] Figure 5 In this design, the end plate 41c of the drainage section 41 extends downward from the end of the drainage main structure and slopes inward toward the inside of the drainage main structure to facilitate drainage away from the wafer location. Specifically, the end plate 41c has a smooth downward and inward transition to form a smooth side surface. It is understood that the end plate 41c of the drainage section 41 can also be a vertically oriented plane, such as... Figure 4 The drainage section 41 shown is located at the end of the door body 30. This type of drainage section 41 is suitable for situations where there are fewer water droplets.

[0084] Figure 12 In this design, a flow guide plate 51a is disposed on the upper part of the buffer section 51, and a liquid storage tank 51b is disposed on the side of the buffer section 51. Droplets falling onto the side of the buffer section 51 flow into the liquid storage tank 51b under neutralizing action, where the liquid storage tank 51b temporarily stores the accumulated liquid for natural evaporation. Furthermore, there are multiple liquid storage tanks 51b, arranged approximately horizontally on the side of the buffer section 51 to temporarily store droplets. Preferably, the width of the liquid storage tank 51b is 0.5-2 mm to effectively retain the droplets flowing in the liquid storage tank 51b.

[0085] Furthermore, the drainage plate 51a is tilted downwards toward the location of the bottom guide portion 52, as... Figure 12 As shown, the drainage plate 51a can guide the dripping liquid toward the bottom guide portion 52. Figure 13This is a side view of a bottom guide structure 50 provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The bottom guide portion 52 includes... Figure 12 The diagram shows a base plate 52a and a side plate 52b, with the side plate 52b positioned on the front side of the base plate 52a. The base plate 52a is inclined downwards relative to the horizontal plane, and its surface is provided with... Figure 11 The guide transmission slot 52c is shown.

[0086] Figure 11 In the middle, the side plate 52b is provided with a liquid inlet 52d, which is connected to the guide transfer groove 52c on the bottom plate 52a. Liquid entering the bottom guide section 52 from the liquid inlet 52d can be transferred away from the opening 20a of the top cover 20 through the guide transfer groove 52c, so as to avoid accumulation near the opening 20a and dripping onto the wafer surface.

[0087] Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the liquid inlet 52d of the bottom guide portion 52 is distributed in the middle position and near the end position of the bottom guide portion 52, and its position corresponds to the position of the drainage portion 41 above the door body 30, so as to guide the liquid dripping onto the side wall of the door body 30 towards the edge of the top cover 20 through the liquid inlet 52d, away from the position where the wafer is placed in the tank 10.

[0088] Figure 11 In this design, the buffer section 51 is located at the middle position along the length of the bottom guide section 52 to catch droplets falling from the middle position of the lower edge of the wafer. It is understood that the buffer section 51 can also be located at other positions along the length of the bottom guide section 52, as long as it can catch and temporarily store droplets falling during wafer post-processing.

[0089] Figure 10 In the middle, the bottom guide structure 50 is installed below the top cover 20. Specifically, the side plate 52b of the bottom guide portion 52 abuts against the side of the opening 20a, and the bottom plate 52a of the bottom guide portion 52 is equipped with... Figure 11 The limiting block 52e shown abuts against and is fixed to the bottom surface of the top cover 20. The top surface of the limiting block 52e is horizontally arranged, so that the combination of the limiting block 52e and the side plate 52b determines the mounting reference of the bottom guide portion 52.

[0090] In this invention, the components of the bottom guide structure 60 and the top guide structure 50 are made of hydrophilic materials. The contact angle of the droplets falling on the top cover 20 and the door 30 is less than 90°, causing the liquid on the top cover 20 and the door 30 to relatively converge, thus preventing the droplets from spreading randomly and hindering liquid guidance. Preferably, the bottom guide structure 60 and the top guide structure 50 are made of stainless steel to facilitate liquid guidance and prevent droplets from rolling arbitrarily on the surfaces of the top cover 20 and the door 30, which would increase the difficulty of liquid guidance.

[0091] Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the door 30 is positioned above the top cover 20 in a non-translational manner. The door 30 can fully compress the sealing ring on the outer periphery of the opening 20a to ensure the sealing of the opening 20a of the top cover 20, preventing particulate matter or fluid containing particulate matter from entering the interior of the tank 10 through the gap between the door 30 and the opening 20a. In this invention, "translation" includes translation, and "non-translation" refers to movement / motion other than simple translation. That is, non-translational movement also includes combinations of translation and other movement methods.

[0092] Specifically, the opening 20a of the top cover 20 is provided with an upwardly extending opening boss 20b, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the opening boss 20b extends vertically along the top cover 20 to prevent liquid dripping onto the top cover 20 from flowing into the interior of the tank 10 through the opening 20a. Furthermore, the opening boss 20b is provided with an annular groove for mounting a sealing ring within the annular groove.

[0093] Figure 3 In this configuration, the door 30 is positioned above the top cover 20 via a swing mechanism. The swing mechanism includes a swing element 60, one end of which is connected to the door 30, and the other end to the top cover 20. The swing element 60 can cause the door 30 to swing, thereby opening and closing the opening 20a.

[0094] Specifically, the top cover 20 has a rack 70 that moves along its width on its side. A gear 80 meshes with the upper part of the rack 70, and the gear 80 is connected to the swing member 60 via a rotating shaft. The moving rack 70 drives the gear 80 and the rotating shaft to rotate, which in turn drives the swing member 60 to swing around the rotating shaft. To ensure the smooth rotation of the rotating shaft, a pair of swing members 60 are respectively arranged on both sides of the door body 30. The rack 70 can be driven by a cylinder, so that the movement of the rack 70 drives the gear 80 to rotate. A bearing seat is fitted on the upper surface 20c of the top cover 20. The bearing seat is located between the wheel 80 and the swing member 60 to reliably support the rotating shaft and ensure smooth rotation of the rotating shaft.

[0095] It is understandable that the swing mechanism of the door 30 can also be configured with other drive methods, such as synchronous belt or chain transmission, to drive the swing component 60 to swing around a fixed point. It should be noted that, considering the working environment of the wafer post-processing unit, protective covers need to be provided for transmission components such as rack 70 and gear 80 to prevent particulate matter or liquid containing particulate matter from splashing onto the swing mechanism and crystallizing, so as to ensure the stability of the door 30 when opening and closing.

[0096] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0097] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A wafer post-processing apparatus, characterized in that, include: The tank contains a wafer post-processing module. A top cover, which is disposed at the top of the tank and has an opening for loading and unloading wafers through the opening; A door, which is located above the top cover, is used to open or close the opening; A top guide structure is provided above the top cover and the door to guide the liquid dripping onto the top cover and the door away from the position where the wafers are placed in the tank; The top flow guide structure includes: The drainage section is a plate-like structure that at least partially covers the top of the door. A flow guide section is disposed on the upper surface of the top cover, and the bottom of the flow guide section is provided with crisscrossing micro-grooves to guide the liquid toward the edge of the top cover by capillary force; and The transmission section is disposed between adjacent guide sections, and the bottom of the transmission section is provided with a transverse transmission micro-groove to draw the liquid toward the drain port of the top cover by capillary force.

2. The wafer post-processing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drainage section is located at least at the middle position along the length of the door body, and the upper surface of the drainage section is an inclined surface; the inclined direction of the inclined surface is perpendicular to the length direction of the door body.

3. The wafer post-processing apparatus as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The drainage section is detachably connected to the top of the door body, and the inclined surface of the drainage section extends downward from the opening of the top cover to the edge of the top cover.

4. The wafer post-processing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The location of the flow guide is matched with the location of the flow outlet.

5. The wafer post-processing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a bottom flow guide structure, which includes a buffer section and a bottom guide section. The buffer section is located on the front side of the bottom guide section, and the bottom guide section is located below the top cover. The buffer section is located in the middle of the opening.

6. The wafer post-processing apparatus as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The buffer section is provided with a liquid storage tank on its side. There are multiple liquid storage tanks arranged vertically at intervals. The width of the liquid storage tank is 0.5-2mm.

7. The wafer post-processing apparatus as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The upper part of the buffer section is provided with a flow guide plate, which conveys the liquid toward the bottom guide section; the bottom guide section is provided with a guide transfer channel, which conveys the liquid from the buffer section to the bottom guide section toward the edge of the top cover.

8. The wafer post-processing apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The door is mounted above the top cover via a swing mechanism. The swing mechanism includes a swing element, one end of which is connected to the door and the other end of which is connected to the top cover. The swing element can drive the door to swing, thereby opening and closing the opening.

9. The wafer post-processing apparatus as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The top cover is equipped with a rack that moves along its width direction. A gear meshes with the upper part of the rack, and the gear is connected to the swinging component via a rotating shaft. The moving rack drives the gear and the rotating shaft to rotate, thereby causing the door body connected to the swinging component to swing around the rotating shaft.

10. The wafer post-processing apparatus as described in claim 8, characterized in that, A sealing ring is provided on the outer periphery of the opening, and the door body connected to the swing mechanism presses against the sealing ring.

11. The wafer post-processing apparatus as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The side of the drainage section is provided with an end plate, and the end plate is positioned facing the opening direction of the top cover; when the door is in the open state, the end plate is located directly above the buffer section.

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